Arts For Life builds bridges and makes lasting connections between the art and healthcare communities of North Carolina. Our staff members are artists and teachers who believe the arts are key to creating and maintaining vibrant and healthy communities. Our programs teach visual arts, music, and creative writing to patients and run five to seven days a week, eight to fourteen hours a day in each of our four different hospital sites. Arts For Life staff, interns, and volunteers teach the arts to patients for over 300 hours each week.

Arts For Life has partnered with Brenner Children’s Hospital in Winston-Salem, Mission Hospital in Asheville, Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, and Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center in Durham to create successful pediatric clinic art programs, patient and family art support groups, and inpatient art programs.

Our teachers work with more than 4,500 patients annually, and we see many of those children on a weekly basis. We teach the arts to children and teens who have serious and chronic illnesses, and we teach children who need ongoing therapies and treatments. Demand and need drive our growth.

Arts For Life has impacted pediatric and patient care across the state of North Carolina, demonstrating the importance of support services for patients and their families. Our programs strive to help young patients become strong members of their communities in spite of the struggles and hurdles they face.

Arts For Life’s internship and volunteer programs train college students, artists, medical students, and community members in teaching the arts to patients. Through these programs, we have led over 250 individuals in utilizing the arts to improve their communities.